


Black and White

by Geek_and_Nina



Series: Hizzie [1]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angst, Bullying, Everyone Is Alive, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:40:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23114833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geek_and_Nina/pseuds/Geek_and_Nina
Summary: The world has always been in black and white for Hope Mikaelson. There was good and bad. She was either good or bad, and she had always done her best to be good. Otherwise, what was the use of all that her family had gone through to protect her. Her mother, father, and uncle had nearly died for her and she needed to live up to that.When she accidentally summons a demon, bound to her service, she knows that demons are bad. Lizzie, however; is all blue eyes, blunt words, and brilliant smiles. How can she be all bad?Lizzie lives in the shades of grey. She has no qualms about protecting this amazing tribrid girl at all costs, even from the human terrors at school, and the emotional terror that for some reason, no one can see she is in.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Penelope Park, Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman
Series: Hizzie [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709398
Comments: 39
Kudos: 259





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HoozieHybrid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoozieHybrid/gifts).



Klaus Mikaelson kissed the top of Hope’s head before he left his daughter at the front door of the school. She scrunched up her nose at the affectionate action but they both knew she didn’t mind. Hope pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek back. Her English teacher waited, patiently holding the door open, a sleepy smile on her face “No Hayley today?” Emma Tig asked.

“She and my brother are on a weekend getaway in Paris. He’s owed her a dance for a while now and wanted to make a big show out of finally paying up.” Klaus acted as though he were disgusted by the notion, but the corner of his mouth tilted upwards.

“My father’s side of the family is comprised of hopeless romantics. Dad likes to pretend he isn’t, but I’ve watched him give in too much to buy that.” Hope smirked as she followed her teacher into the school. She turned back once to wave goodbye.

Hayley was the one to insist Hope attend Mystic Falls High and grow up with as normal a childhood she could for at least those four years. Klaus hadn’t wanted to let her leave his side at all and fought tooth and nail until Hayley, Freya, Elijah, and Rebekah all teamed up against him. Hope hadn’t had an opinion either way, though she wasn’t confident she would fit in with human teenagers. Mrs.Tig had helped somewhat.

Hope got to school an hour early and stayed an hour late on Tuesdays and Thursdays to study the ancient and arcane languages most commonly used for spellwork. At home, Freya began teaching her the basics of magic. Any time Hope had a skill or spell to show Klaus, he practically glowed with pride. Kol too took a special interest in Hope’s magic.

“One day I might understand your family’s dynamics, but today isn’t that day, Ms. Mikaelson.” Ms.Tig said as she led Hope to her classroom and started breaking down the conjugation of Latin verbs.

Hope ate from a bag of breakfast pastries her dad had compelled the family chef to bake for her while she worked. The upside of public school education was Hope getting to look forward to her art class in the third period. If she’d been at the Salvatore School, she would have to take History of Vampires instead or something about her own family, even. As if her own family weren’t the entire history of the species themselves. Hope always thought that if the headmaster was smart, he’d just ask her Uncle Elijah to teach the class.

Ms.Tig finished the brief lesson and Hope packed up her notebooks and crossed the hall to her homeroom where she would take the ‘school approved’ version of the same Latin class. Hope pulled out her sketchbook to draw while she waited for her class to cover something she didn’t already know. Without paying attention to what she was drawing, Hope sketched and watched the clock. Now and again Penelope Park would bop her in the back of the head with a piece of paper and make a face at her from across the room. She was surprised to find the same clock on the page of her sketchbook, except bearing wings where the regular hands of the clock ought to be.

“Ms. Mikaelson, if you could read the first line back to me?” the teacher asked, annoyed that Hope never seemed to have to put in any real effort and unaware of the private lessons she took in secret.

Hope rifled quickly through her Latin folder until she pulled out a sheet that looked right. The words were already coming to her too quickly when Hope realized they were not what her teacher wanted to hear. “Diabolus flava…” Hope hadn’t felt that much power pull through her body since she was a kid and not in control of the spell herself. She had no idea what she was casting, met Penelope’s eyes in a panic, then sat down heavily in her chair. All of her classmates’ eyes on her in curiosity.

“I don’t know what you were reading from, but you’ve made your point. Sit down and don’t disrupt my class again.” The teacher seemed irritated by Hope’s ‘showing off’.

“Well, you certainly showed her what you were made of, didn’t you?” a voice Hope didn’t recognize asked from over her shoulder. She almost jumped a foot in the air.

“Who are you? What are you talking about?!” Hope hissed under her breath, refusing to turn around and look back for fear of getting in trouble. Hope knew that more than a little mental illness ran through her family. Fear struck hot and hard in her chest.

Another piece of paper hit the side of Hope’s head and she unfolded it. Instead of the usual rude drawing, Hope saw a note. _Who is that girl behind you? Can you see her? -P_

Hope shrugged to answer the first question and nodded to answer the second. She could still feel the girl behind her and didn’t know how or why. Maybe if she ignored her she would just go away? As the class came to an end, though, and she thought maybe the spell had dissipated, she could feel her hair being played with.


	2. Chapter 2

She spent the remainder of class time sharing anxious looks with her best friend. Hope rushed to scribble down what little she could remember of the spell she had cast. It felt as though the words had gone through her without her consent or knowledge of what was occurring. If anyone could figure out what had just happened, it was her Aunt Freya. As the bell rang, Hope grabbed her bags and felt comfort flood her body as Penelope slid her arm through Hope’s; dragging her into the bathroom.

“What did you do? What spell did you cast?” Penelope asked in a hiss as Hope felt another arm slide through her own on the other side. She turned to see a blonde-haired girl beside her, with a smile bright enough it seemed to produce light.

“I honestly have no idea. What the… get off of me! I don’t know you.” Hope was telling Penelope before turning and smacking the girl off of her arm. “Who… what the… hell?”

“Hi! I’m Lizzie. I am here to help you. You might not have meant to summon me… but here I am.” The blonde girl scooted into the bathroom just before the door closed. “I’m sorry if you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t. Do you have any questions?”

“So many.” Penelope scoffed. “I have an innumerable amount of questions.”

“Why can only Penelope and I see you?” Hope asked first off, waving her hand at Penelope to shut her up. She stared a bit more closely at Lizzie in an attempt to see any demonic nature in her. Hope didn’t see anything besides being unusually pretty and a size zero.

“Anyone of a magical or supernatural origin can see me unless you don’t want them to. Everything is at your discretion as far as I am concerned.” Lizzie replied. She didn’t seem very happy about that, which left Hope feeling surprised and amused. Penelope just seemed skeptical about the entire situation.

“So, I accidentally summoned you. Are you just here to follow me around, or do you have a purpose here?” Hope had a follow-up question and wondered internally if it was appropriate to develop a crush on a demon she had summoned during a notebook mix-up in her Latin class. This was probably in the top three of weird magical mishaps she’d had in her life. The first would always be her birth.

“I exist just to be here and to help you with anything you require… within reason of course. Consent is required for any actions taken between the two of us personally. You know, all the general common decency rules apply at my discretion of course. No killing, no forcing someone to fall in love with you, etcetera.” Lizzie explained. She seemed bored by the speech. Hope wondered how many times she’d been forced to give it.

“Are there reasons for consent to be necessary… often, when you get summoned?” asked, feeling herself blush and a deep fog of awkwardness washing over them all. Penelope was visibly trying to stifle a giggle. Hope’s face was reminiscent of tomato by the time she worked her way through the sentence. Hope knew Penelope was going to give her hell over the moment of weakness.

“Not often, but enough that the female demons all know it and bring it up with all of their charges. It’s a dangerous job, but it can be equally rewarding. Sometimes I feel like I can help people like I make an actual difference. That is all that I want.” Lizzie added the last few sentences quietly, as though she had never said them aloud before.

“I like that you take pride in your work.” Penelope butted in after being neglected for long enough. “Demon kind of implies troublemaking and mischief, though. Are you going to make our lives any harder?”

“I can cause as much trouble as I want so long as it doesn’t impact you according to the bindings of the spell Ms. Mikaelson cast.” Lizzie looked to Hope for permission before answering Penelope’s question. Her eyes glittered and Hope could have sworn she saw them flash red, even if only for the briefest of moments.

“Good. I consider myself something of a rebel-without-a-cause. I feel like the two of us will be the fastest of friends. May I?” Penelope asked, one arm extended to loop around the thin blonde’s shoulders for a half hug. Her smirk was the same one that had won Hope over, more quickly than she could have ever expected. She had no doubts that Lizzie would be won over just as quickly.

Lizzie relented to the gesture as Hope’s mind continued to be flooded with questions and concerns. “Well, I’m sure I will adjust to whatever this is soon enough.” Hope chuckled with a sense of uncertainty. She just wanted to go home and allow her dad to take care of her for a while. Hope would never admit to how anxious she was at the moment.

“How do you do in calculus, Lizzie?” Hope asked, holding her phone up to her ear as though speaking to someone when one of their classmates entered the bathroom. For a moment she felt herself grinning back at Lizzie and almost forgot how extremely out of the ordinary this all was. All Hope’s parents had ever wanted for her was a normal life. She was beginning to think it might not be possible, or more likely, had never been possible in the first place.

“I’m a couple of thousand years old, Ms.Mikaelson. I can do any kind of math you want me to do. You know when I was summoned, I didn’t expect it to be for homework purposes.” Lizzie grumbled beneath her breath, but also seemed to be a bit pleased. 

If Lizzie chuckled as Hope muttered questions every third problem, no one called her on it. Hope was surprised to find the other woman a rather patient tutor, once she realized the short witch wasn’t going to bite her head off over any bitchy comments. Lizzie was full of them about absolutely anything and everything. Hope had to bite her lip more than once to keep from laughing out loud. She might have been bitchy but Hope found her to be quite hilarious as well.

Hope was on the verge of deciding she didn’t mind having Lizzie around after all. She was beautiful to look at, fun to talk to and smart as a whip. Hope was careful to pretend Lizzie wasn’t there when amongst the company, to never touch her, and worked to not become attached to her. Hope still had questions about the spell she had accidentally cast and was unsure of how long it would last. Losing people was Hope’s worst fear. She had come too close too many times.

Penelope seemed to realize Hope was uncertain and was being much more  
… supportive than usual. She had never seen Penelope act as though she… cared, before. Hope had known Penny cared of course but seeing her act on and show her feelings were completely different. She thought it was a good look for the younger witch.

“All of the members of my family are supernatural, so you’ll have to go invisible or something after school. Can you handle that? If not, I can cast it myself.” Hope finally broke their silence after finding a moment’s privacy to speak to Lizzie. She was beginning to feel the nerves rush back in at the prospect of bringing Lizzie back home… into the Mikaelson house.

“I can make anything invisible that either of us wants, up to and including the whole damn building. It’s my specialty.” Lizzie chuckled. “So, you only want Penelope and yourself to be able to see me? I can work with that.”

Hope nodded her agreement and felt a bit better at the sound of Lizzie’s confidence. “Don’t go far from me. I don’t want to lose sight of you. You feel like a figment of my imagination whenever I can’t see you.” Hope swallowed hard, embarrassed by the request.

“I’ve heard that one before. It’s no biggie. You can count on me, Ms. Mikaelson.” Lizzie said with a smirk and offered her pinkie finger to Hope. Hope smiled quietly down at her shoes before accepting, shoving her doubts deep down.

“You need to stop calling me that. I’m just Hope. Call me Hope.” she insisted and nibbled down on her lower lip fiercely. A smirk pulled up at the corner of her mouth. Lizzie smiled and nodded, but didn’t say the name aloud as Hope had expected her. She wasn’t disappointed… not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

“Wait, wait, wait… how is this going to work? There’s no smart way to get you into the car.” Hope thought quickly as she saw her father pull up to the school to get her. Fear flooded her system once more. She didn’t want to risk angering or disappointing her family. Hope never wanted to see her father disappointed in her.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” Lizzie smiled, seemingly proud of her cleverness as she shook her head in wry amusement. “Illusions are my specialty.”

“I’m sorry, dear. Were you speaking to me, I’m afraid I couldn’t quite hear you.” Ms.Tig turned to look back to Hope. Hope froze in place, realizing she no longer saw Lizzie anywhere around. She knew that she ought to respond, but couldn’t find the words.

“She was talking to me about reviewing some of those tutoring notes. You know, from your extra lesson this morning?” Penelope stepped up from the car line to smoothly cover for Hope. She gestured to the watch on her wrist and held up Hope’s hand to show off an off-brand smartwatch that she had not been previously wearing. The name on the band read: L.I.Z.

Hope shuddered from the sudden wave of relief and agreed with Penelope out of instinct. Penelope elbowed her in the ribcage none too covertly and Hope shut up immediately. She could have sworn she saw a wincing face emoji appear on the screen of the smartwatch. Ms.Tig accepted the lie easily and Penelope punched Hope in the arm once more. Hope didn’t bother to pretend as though it had hurt this time.

“I take it that’s Lizzie, our mutual friend, there?” Penelope asked, taking a closer look with a curious expression. “That’s fucking brilliant. Good on you, demon child.”

“Thank you,” Lizzie replied in a robotic voice from the watch’s general direction. Hope could detect the timbre of Lizzie’s voice somewhere amongst the digital sounds.

“I can’t believe you froze like that. Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of mystical badass tribrid?” Penelope asked.

“I _am_ a badass tribrid. I'm also a very good student. Speaking of, I have homework. See you tomorrow, Pen.” Hope slid into the passenger seat beside her father. She shot a smile towards her friend, turned, and gave her dad a hesitant grin.

“Yes, you are... my littlest wolf, but you really ought not to yell those things so loudly. The humans won’t always understand.” He was smirking and glowing with pride. She blushed and enjoyed the opportunity to bask in his love. For once, he wasn’t at all visibly bloodstained either.

“They wouldn’t have any idea what I was talking about, anyway. You know me and Penelope. Everyone thinks we’re crazy. I just think of it all the way you taught me. Everyone in that school lives and dies at my discretion.” Hope spoke from rote memory, quoting a lecture her father had given her upon moving her from the Salvatore School to Mystic Falls High.

“That’s my little girl. You are the light of my life, the ruler of my heart, and the heir to all of my kingdoms.” Klaus reached over to ruffly Hope’s hair, running one lock between his fingers as he pulled his hand back. His smile was so full of love that when Hope saw his eyes she thought it might physically hurt him to love her so much.

Hope almost felt guilty for his love for her. She wondered if her pain was even a drop in the ocean compared to his millennia of misery. She couldn’t believe a person could hurt that much and live through it. Hope couldn’t believe a person would want to. Something along those lines had been said of the Mikaelson family before. “They barely survive their love for one another.” Hope stared down at her hands in her lap as she grew even more contemplative. She brushed her thumb along the edges of her new Lizzie watch and the light at the side flashed once subtly, the blonde demon’s manner of reminding Hope of her continued presence.


	4. Chapter 4

Lizzie had never seen a family quite like this one before. They loved each other to the point they confused their feelings for hatred more often than not. She watched them silently from Hope Mikaelson’s wrist, absorbing the information in case it became needed. Lizzie had never enjoyed watching her charges the way she began to with this girl. In previous instances, those summoning her had a specific purpose for her in mind. She had never been or heard of a homework demon before. 

Lizzie found her new situation nigh upon hilarious. Accidentally being summoned was one of the rarest forms of summoning amongst Lizzie’s people and usually came with the best stories. Generally, the casting witch would immediately dismiss the spell. She had to wonder why Hope wasn’t trying to dispel her summoning. Lizzie had begun to suspect that despite being surrounded by love and acceptance, Hope might be quite lonely in her day to day life. She wasn’t well understood, no matter how adored she might be.

Every few interactions, Lizzie could _feel_ Hope about to crash, whether it be emotionally, or by her energy levels. She did her best to encourage and give advice via emoticons. A coffee cup, glass of tea, or a bathtub emoji were thrown upon her screen seemed to do the trick more often than not. Lizzie found herself shocked by how her heart ached for this girl who referred to herself as a cosmic accident. Hope was special and a lot of the time, being special just made life hard.

“Aunt Freya!” Lizzie heard Hope perk up upon seeing the eldest...and also youngest… Mikaelson sibling. Even down-home, Lizzie had heard tell of Freya Mikaelson and her power. It was this particular Mikaelson sibling Lizzie had been the most concerned about. If anyone was going to find them out, it would be her. Hope even seemed in awe of her aunt. Lizzie completely understood, based on what she’d heard.

“Hey there, Little One. What do you have here?” Freya asked, lifting Hope’s hand to get a better look at Lizzie’s smartwatch disguise. If she had been able to breathe in her watch form, Lizzie would have held her breath. “I could feel the magic radiating off of this before I even got into the house. What did you get up to today, Hope?”

“Ms.Tig helped me to work a magical battery spell on my new watch. I don’t have to worry about charging it ever again.” Hope gave a proud smile as though hoping her aunt would be proud of her. It was a smooth and near perfect lie. “I wrote most of the spell myself. Ms.Tig only supervised. It’s small, concentrated, and pretty powerful… not to brag or anything.”

“It looks pretty comprehensive, Hope. You did good, kiddo.” Freya didn’t appear to even question the lie. Lizzie wanted to know why no one could see how Hope was falling apart inside. As the older witch stepped away, Lizzie could hear the other girl scoff.

“I don’t… today took a lot out of me, so I think I’m going to head to bed.” Hope said after dinner; having been notably quieter than usual. She picked up her plateware and kissed her father’s cheek before taking off. Klaus appeared concerned but remembered the recent scoldings he had received for having been overprotective.

“I’ll go up and check on her later.” Rebekah was reassuring him as Hope left earshot. Hope shuddered and leaned back against her bedroom door after shutting herself in. As soon as she opened her eyes, Lizzie was standing in front of her.

“Do you need a hug? I’m not the biggest fan of them, but it seems rather necessary at the moment.” Lizzie stood tall with her hands laced behind her. Concern colored her expression and Hope could tell that she was barely holding back from taking action. She guessed the only reason Lizzie wasn’t doing anything to help now was that she wasn’t sure what Hope needed.


	5. Chapter 5

“No, no, I’m good,” Hope reassured her. She stiffened her spine and began to move about her room tidying up, despite how her space was almost completely spotless already. Lizzie recognized the behavior as an attempt to exert control when she felt as though she had none. Lizzie took a seat at the foot of Hope’s bed to wait for her to calm down or to say something else. She did her best to sit quietly; just keeping her company.

“I do… I do everything I can to be as perfect as possible. All I want is to make the sacrifices my family has made feel worth it. _I_ have to be worth it for them.” Hope had finally worn herself out and collapsed back into her pillows. “Every single member of my family has died, almost died, or sacrificed immensely for me since before I was even born. I never asked for any of this. I didn’t want it. They named me ‘Hope’ because that is what I am supposed to be for them. _That_ is what I am supposed to live up to, what my family has lost so much for. How am I supposed to _be_ their hope?” she asked, tears trailing down her temples and onto the pillow.

“Just because your family expects something of you, doesn’t mean you _have_ to be that. Who you are is enough. _You_ are enough, Hope, and you always will be, just by being yourself.” Lizzie said, her voice strong and certain as she let Hope know exactly how she felt. “Fun fact about us lesser demons… my kind is incapable of lying. We get what we want through selective truths, omission, and manipulation. My dashing good looks can’t be counted out either.”

Hope smiled quietly to herself trying not to laugh out loud. She had only known Lizzie for a few hours but felt as though the tall blond demon’s understanding of her was greater than anyone besides Penelope’s already. “You would never believe how badly I needed to hear that today,” Hope replied.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Lizzie asked, even though she wasn’t known for often going out of her way to ask for work. She was the devil on the shoulder, not the angel. The very few good parts of Lizzie had come from her sister.

“Just sit with me for a while? Distract me if you can. Tell me a story.” Hope patted the where she had piled in amongst the veritable wall of pillows. She reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a small pencil case and sketchbook. “You’re in charge of handing me pencils when I ask.” Hope placed the small plastic box and put it in Lizzie’s lap when she sat down and balanced her sketchbook across her knees. “I would prefer the 2B to start if you don’t mind.”

Lizzie looked through the little baggie and passed Hope the appropriate pencil and began to speak, staring up at the ceiling so as not to peek at the drawing.

“Once upon a time, there was a pair of beautiful twins. One was light, the other dark, and they loved one another more than anything or anyone else, save for their Master. The angelic sisters provided a balance to one another. The fury of the dark twin was offset by the gentility of the light, the more stoic twin was softened by the chaotic. The siblings were inseparable and most often were found in the sky; flying and playing with one another. Lizzie set up the story and Hope could tell automatically that what she was telling Hope was deeply personal.

“One of the H’s please.” Hope requested almost laughing at how Lizzie didn’t reach into the bag, choosing instead to manifest one in her hand. She created a glass of water for herself as well and sipped it before continuing her story.

“The twins loved one another dearly and it was well known by everyone around them they were willing to do anything for one another. Upon their sixteenth birthdays, the twins learned of a traditional ceremony for angelic twins like themselves called the Merge. The ceremony would take place at twenty-two years old and only the stronger, dominant twin would emerge victoriously… or at all.”

Hope could hear Lizzie swallow roughly, and reached for the next pencil she wanted for herself instead of asking. She paid more attention to the story than to her work now. The art took place instinctually while her ears focused on Lizzie’s voice. The blonde demon had Hope’s full attention now.

“The light twin, with her baleful doe-eyes, and sunshine smile resigned herself to her fate, confident that her darker half would win. Meanwhile, the sister worked night and day looking for ways to prevent the Merge from ever having to happen. She was terrified at the prospect of having to either die or lose the most important person in her life. She soon realized that her sister was more important to her than their Master was. They were not supposed to love anyone more than their Master. This was one of the greatest sins one of their kind could commit. The dark twin knew herself to be broken and irredeemable, so when she was unable to find a way by which to prevent the Merge, she cast herself down, not out of misguided loyalty, but love for her sister.”

“The dark angel, the fallen one was never to fly again. She was never to play or to bask in the radiance of their benevolent master again. Worse, she was never to see her sister or at most could see her about once per decade. Even then it was only a brush by and a meaningful look. She could only guess at her sister’s feelings, but the demon girl knew her own heart had been shattered.”

“The demon girl missed her wings. They were a part of her and they were gone. Completely irreplaceable but worth it to keep her sister safe.”

Lizzie finished her story just as Hope was cleaning up the lines of her sketch and set her supplies to the side. She was tempted to hug Lizzie or take her hand but remembered what she had said before. Instead, she attempted to slide her hand close enough to Lizzie’s that their pinky fingers were pressed together. Hope knew the comfort those small actions could offer. She knew how it felt for a heart to be shattered.

Lizzie had lived with this heartache for a long while, centuries now. It had been around a decade since the last time she had seen her sister. Hope was a warm and comforting presence at Lizzie’s side despite all of the mental and emotional boundaries she had put up around herself. She cleared her throat and pushed herself up and out of bed. “I’m going over your homework one more time so you won’t have to worry about it in the morning.” Lizzie refused to look back at Hope who pulled her laptop out and started to watch a show. She wanted to give Lizzie the space she seemed to need.

When Hope looked at Lizzie she didn’t see any sign of her being demonic in the other girl. There was a pain in her eyes that Hope recognized and identified with. She knew that by her summoning, Lizzie was supposed to be there as an assistant to her, but Hope felt the deep need to help her as well. She wondered if, without Josie, she had anyone in her life to look after her now.


	6. Chapter 6

Hope woke up the next morning and stared up at the ceiling for a long while, convinced that the events of the past day had been a weird dream. She was a bit disappointed to wake up and not find the tall blonde demon next to her on the bed any longer. Hope had always felt alone in the world as the only one of her kind in the history of anything ever. Now… she felt true, deep, down in her bones, lonely. Lizzie had been someone she couldn’t, wouldn’t be able to scare off.

She choked on the feeling, tears pricking up into her eyes. Hope swiped at them with the back of her hand angrily. She felt as though she should have more self-control than to be taken by her emotions like this. She sat up, took several deep breaths and refocused herself as her Aunt Freya knocked quietly on her bedroom door. Hope faked a small and tight smile.

“Good morning,” Hope said with a grin. “What’s going on? I was about to get ready for school.”

“Your dad ordered beignets for breakfast. Your favorite, but I wanted a word with you first.” Freya held up Hope’s watch and a sheepish looking blonde’s face appeared on the watch face. “I’m going to need an explanation for this.”

“That’s the watch I was telling you about yesterday and… maybe I didn’t tell you the whole story.” Hope sipped from a mug Freya had passed her. She did her best to project absolute innocence, but her aunt knew her better than that.

“Well, you had better start talking. I’d recommend getting through as much of it as possible before your father comes to check on us.” Freya sat down at Hope’s desk still staring suspiciously at the ‘smartwatch’. “I am no stranger to magical mishaps, but this feels… _sentient_ , almost as though it were _alive_.”

“Promise not to tell anyone? Especially not my parents or Uncle Elijah. They would flip their shit and their overbearing, overprotective eyes already have me feeling like I live in a snow globe.” Hope spoke as honestly as she could, but needed to know Lizzie wouldn’t be taken from her. She hadn’t known how badly she had needed someone until the demon had come into her life. Hope didn’t want to go back to a life of consistent solitude again.

“Show me what’s been going on and then we can see about making any promises. You’ll have to convince me first.” Freya seemed to grow only warier.

“All right, Lizzie, go on and show yourself. We’ve been caught.” Hope called, her eyes still on the watch, which pulled from Freya’s hand and disappeared only for a teenage girl to appear at Hope’s side, seeming in absolute comfort tucked in next to her on the bed. The height difference was almost comical, and any age difference indiscernible at first glance. Her eyes though, they held the wisdom and ache of multiple lives having been lived Freya was used to seeing only in the gazes of another Mikaelson. She almost groaned out loud; immortals trapped in eternal pubescence were the worst kind.

Freya summoned her power until she could feel the glimmer of it just below her skin. She could see this entity much more now, the power from the watch had just been a drop in the bucket. Magic cloaked Lizzie in palpable waves, shields were more suffocating in presence than even the Hollow. Not even Freya would even be able to stand against a force like this… but she could fake it, especially on the off chance her reputation preceded her. She put a bit of extra oomph into her voice.

“Who are you and what are you doing with my niece?” As Freya began to speak, shields of glittering red-bordered the walls of the room. 

“Keep your voice down. Hope only gave _you_ permission to know of me.” Lizzie didn’t gesture or speak any spells. Magic simply bent itself to her will. Freya had only seen such magic done in outbursts of emotion by untrained witches. Danger edged the stranger’s voice. Freya lowered her voice.

“I’ll correct my question… _what_ are you?” Freya asked. “No witch can do the things I’ve seen you do.”

“You would only know me by my professional name,” Lizzie spoke casually, still partially between Hope and Freya almost protectively. Hope’s interest seemed piqued as well. She sat back onto her bed to listen, gesturing for Lizzie to relax as though she were friendly with this creature who wore a girl’s body and name. “I am The Fallen, guardian to all heretics and hedge-witches, the untrained and lost magicians; the outcasts on the fringes of arcane society. My given name is Elizabeth, but I prefer Lizzie.”

Freya was holding herself together but only barely. She’d heard of The Fallen of course. Kol had been a member of their cult for a while. He’d drawn a lot of inspiration for his Dark Objects from her ‘teachings’. She was a trickster entity, a deity to some, and technically considered a lower level devil. The Fallen Angel, Queen Amongst Tricksters, Mother of the Heretics. If Freya weren’t afraid, she’d fangirl.

“You told me you were a demon!” Hope leaned forward to swat Lizzie’s leg. Freya felt nauseous at the action. Her only niece had no idea what she was dealing with.

“That’s the easiest way to explain myself without having to do the whole formal speech with my titles, duties, and accomplishments from the beginning of time until now. It’s kind of a mouthful.” Lizzie shrugged, leaned forward and fixed a loose curl that had escaped the wild curls. Freya was beginning to understand there was absolutely nothing she could do and that Hope was completely taken in by her.

“Okay, but you severely downplayed how strong you are.” Hope pointed out as Freya sat back in shock, still processing what she’d heard and was still watching. As soon as their attention had turned back to one another it was as though Aunt Freya weren’t even in the room anymore. While they spoke, Hope turned in the bed and Lizzie began to braid her hair back, in a tight French-style Freya recognized from a couple of centuries back.

“You say that as though you don’t do the same thing every day of your life, Hope Mikaelson.” Lizzie's tone bordered upon accusatory. “The entire magical world has heard of you, felt the moment of your birth like a shock to the system, a disturbance in the force. There is a reason I came when you called, and it isn’t the Mikaelson charm and good looks.”

“Wait a second. You _called_ her? How? Why? When?” Freya asked. She didn’t understand how Hope could have heard of The Fallen, or why she would risk such a thing after their experiences with The Hollow. As far as Freya was aware, no one had ever taught Hope how to cast a summoning. There was no way the binding on the spell was strong enough to hold someone such as The Fallen.

“It was an accident at school. I'm not completely certain of what happened, and neither is the Queen Bitch over here, but in Latin, I got my notes mixed up and mispronounced a few words, then the spell started and I couldn’t cut it off. After the casting was over, there Lizzie was, and I was pretty sure I had lost my mind.” Hope explained. “There are certain aspects of my notes I looked over and I think I managed to isolate the part of the line in there somewhere while Lizzie was… reviewing my calculus homework, delegated her to an assistant’s position in the life of the summoner, which upon further thought must be pretty humiliating for someone of your status.”

Freya was shocked by the story and equally surprised by how ferociously her niece seemed to be blushing under Lizzie’s intense gaze. There were a billion ways in which this could go wrong. Still, there was something special in the way these two looked at one another that warranted protecting. Freya determined that, by the way, she saw Lizzie looking at Hope, maybe she ought to give this… minor devil… a chance. Plus, there was something inherently sad about her.

“It really would be if anyone of my kind _actually_ paid attention to what the rest of us do. We don’t much care about the going on of everyone else. I am quite content with my current situation and anyone who has a problem can take it up with me.” Lizzie’s grin bordered upon dangerous and there was a challenge in her, for the most part, unreadable eyes. Hope smiled quietly to herself, happy that Lizzie would value her company so much. This wasn’t a feeling she was accustomed to.

“Would you be willing to face my father, Niklaus Mikaelson: The Great Evil, on those grounds, should it become necessary?” Hope asked, eyes wary but lighter than they had seemed for a good long while.

“If anyone is going to be ‘handling’ my brother, it will be me.” Freya sighed resignedly, “But you should also know I will be keeping a close eye out for any funny business. I still don’t one hundred percent trust… _this_.”

“Completely understandable.” Lizzie nodded serenely and rested one hand upon Hope’s knee. The tribrid almost startled at the touch and felt her heart warm. Lizzie seemed to feel the same sensation simultaneously and squeezed gently to let Hope know. Her expression changed completely from the even and dark stare she had leveled towards Freya to soft and gentle… almost loving.

“If you could give us some time, Aunt Freya, I will be down to join you in a moment.” Hope requested though it was plain she would do it anyway. Her mind and her heart were already made up.


	7. Chapter 7

“Whoa… _whoa, whoa, **whoa.**_ ” Hope spoke quickly beneath her breath, trying to keep her voice down as she felt herself losing control of the movement of her body.

“You all good?” Lizzie’s voice echoed silently in Hope’s ears as she tried to regain her bearings. Hope Mkaelson was used to being in absolute control, no matter her circumstances and this… this was an absolute lack of control. The wind whipped at her hair; tangling and getting into her eyes, but a smile spread across her face as she watched Mystic Falls pass beneath her until she reached the high-school. 

The rapid descent was nerve-wracking. The ground rushed up to meet Hope in a near free-fall that took her breath away, but she trusted Lizzie. She landed softly on her feet out by the dumpsters where the stoners usually hung out. Hope also really hoped Lizzie wasn’t paying attention to the little happy dance of excitement she was doing before flourishing an emergency magical touch upon her hair. The wind had done some real damage.

“It’s all clear if you want to pop on out and talk for a second. I have… five minutes, until I need to meet Ms.Tig.” Hope said as she reappeared into the world, and spoke to the empty air. Lizzie reappeared as well, smiling softly, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

“I take it you had fun?” Lizzie asked, almost falling backward when Hope tackled into her arms squeezing her into a hug.

“That was AWESOME,” Hope exclaimed in a panting breath. Her breath was warm against the outer cusp of Lizzie’s ear and instinctively Lizzie’s arms wrapped around Hope’s shoulders, even though it had been years since the last time she had truly hugged anyone. Her body seemed to remember how even when her mind was still in complete shock. “Did you feel it? Were you able to fly with me?”

“It was close enough to be wonderful. Thank you, Hope.” Lizzie leaned further down into the hug. Now and then she was thrown off by Hope’s room-filling presence and forgot just how physically small Hope Mikaelsom was.

“Good. I’m glad I was able to return a piece of what you’ve been missing.” Hope pulled out of the hug. “Can you make yourself visible only to myself and Penelope again? We can trust her. The two of us have been the best of friends since I first started here.”

“Already done.” Lizzie nodded. She snapped her fingers and nothing appeared to change, though there was a somewhat more ethereal quality to her person.

“Is the snap really necessary or are you just that dramatic?” Hope asked, one eyebrow raised mischievously. Her full lips began to quirk up before the tribrid regained her self control and tempered her expression once more.

“I have to add my special flourish to things or they will get boring, you know?” Lizzie shrugged with a grin and a waggle of her eyebrows. She knew that she was flirting and that she probably shouldn’t, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Hope hip-checked her before readjusting the straps of her backpack and heading on into the school. She wasn’t half as anxious walking into Mystic Falls High with Lizzie at her back. Hope was beyond powerful enough to protect herself from a human bully, but her parents had been very clear in their instructions to never _ever_ use any of her supernatural abilities at school. This meant taking everything she was dealt by those who thought themselves better than her on the chin. It was frustrating and oftentimes painful, but Hope could take it. If she couldn’t... she had no right to call herself a Mikaelson. 

Hope slid into her homeroom seat only seconds before the bell rang, pulling Penelope’s hair lightly as she passed her best friend. The other girl looked only slightly surprised to see Lizzie Saltzman trailing behind her. Penelope had not been able to stop thinking about Hope and her demon since the incident in their Latin class, and formulated several of her theories, even without the facts Hope had gotten out of her. Penelope had resolved to keep an even closer eye on the situation before coming to any concrete conclusions.

Watching Hope take shit that she didn’t have to was one of Penelope’s greatest trials. She wished the other girl would let her help, but was one hundred percent anti-magic at school. Hope was the strongest person Penelope had ever met, and only hoped Lizzie, the beautiful blonde demon girl would recognize and support that in the way Hope deserved. Otherwise, Penelope would fight tooth and nail for her. Someone had to.

Lizzie now floated cross-legged in the air beside Hope's desk, reading over her shoulder, leaning in to comment on something, or picking at her fingernails. Everything about her seemed completely innocent. A wad of paper thrown at the back of Hope’s head stopped in midair, course-corrected, and beamed Dana Lilien in the middle of her forehead without Hope ever noticing anything happening. Penelope knew she had done nothing about it herself, and didn’t see a visible reaction from anyone else in the room until Lizzie finished whatever she was murmuring to Hope, met her eyes, and winked.


	8. Chapter 8

This was everything Penelope Park had never known she needed. Dana seemed to be stunned, confused, and most of all _furious_. She had not been that smart of a girl, to begin with, and now Penelope could vividly imagine cartoon question marks floating in circles about her head. Lizzie seemed to be quite pleased with herself in the corner of Penelope’s vision. She kind of wished she had been willing to risk herself in a similar manner before now and stand up for her friend in the way Hope had always deserved from her. Penelope was infamously self-centered though, and not great at the skill of friendship. Something horrible was definitely written on that page and Penelope was glad Hope wouldn’t have to read it.

A terrible curiosity overtook the witch at that point and with a muttered phrase and a subtle breeze of controlled air, the ball of paper landed beneath Penelope’s desk. She reached down to find it surprisingly heavy, a small stone from the flower beds outside wrapped in the page. The object could have done some decent damage with a bit of strength put behind it. Penelope burnt the paper to ash in her clenched fist. Fury built and blazed within her chest. Penelope decided to have a word alone with the LizDemon whenever she got a chance. She wanted to be doubly sure that whatever Lizzie might be, she had Hope Mikaelson’s best intentions at heart. 

Besides Dana Liilien, there was nothing at Mystic Falls High that Hope Mikaelson hated more than physical education. She was an epically strong firstborn were-witch of the Crescent Moon pack and had complete control over her forms. Running a mile was literally no sweat for her and it felt especially demeaning to have to pretend to struggle. Especially whenever that meant letting Dana win. Hope’s pride grated each and every time she had to let it happen.

Dana could be so bitchy about any kind of win that Hope just wanted to beat her to a pulp or make her chair fly out from under her or any number of small things she could make happen, but wouldn’t. Hope couldn’t even vent to her family because of the faint possibility they would decide to treat Dana like a fruit punch juice box.

“You really are proud of that stupid fucking birthmark aren’t you?” Dana said in a low growl as she shoved Hope roughly into the row of lockers while all of the girls should have been changing before gym began. She was in the middle of changing and pulling her shirt up and over her head. Her nose crashed against the cold metal and Hope felt a sickening pop. Warm, sticky wetness ran down her face as her eyes watered. As quickly as she could, Hope pulled free and yanked her shirt the rest of the way off and pressed her back to the lockers.

“You don’t have to do this, Dana. I haven’t ever done anything to you. Every single week you are _up_ my _ass_. Were you not hugged enough when you were little?” Hope straightened her spine as her eyes watered and the swelling began. She met Lizzie’s eyes for a moment as the demon made herself known to Hope alone.

Hope wasn’t afraid of this human girl, her eyes were even and furious. Still, she wanted to be allowed to stay in this school and not sent back to the Salvatore School away from her family. Her power would get her kicked out and a group of vamps would be sent in to remove all memory of the incident. So, Hope stood with her chin up and her back straight to wait for whatever might come next. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Lizzie looked like she was ready to step in and put a stop to the small clique of mean girls and prevent whatever might be coming. Hope shook her head side to side subtly, and closed her eyes, bracing herself. Still, even unseeing, she caught the fist in her own hand, before it connected with any more of the delicate bones in her face.

“We’ve discussed this previously, I believe. If you start a fistfight with me, _you will not win_.” Hope said in a low and serious tone. “Back off or I _promise you_ , you will regret it.” Hope was rather certain this was the closest (as an unawakened vampire) she had ever come to compelling someone.

Lizzie’s eyebrows raised behind Dana Lilien and she appeared to be almost impressed. Hope knew the only reason she was as brave and as confident as she was currently because of the demon she knew to have her back and wouldn’t allow things to get too far. She was amazed by the amount of trust she already had for the other girl. She really did want to absolutely thrash Dana within an inch of her life. Hope had definitely had that dream before and been disappointed when she woke up to find it wasn’t true.

Dana sneered down at Hope, though there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes at Hope standing up for herself. She resettled herself mentally and came harder at Hope once again, her forearm slamming against the shorter girl’s throat, knocking her head sharply back against the locker. Hope saw stars and a slight sense of fear at the possibility of more pain, however brief it might be.

From her dizzied and blurred vision, Hope saw Lizzie jerk forward to defend her and shook her head no once more. The demon snarled but seemed to calm when Hope bared her own teeth at Dana, squeezing her eyes closed to hide the change in the color of her irises. “Get your hands _off_ of me, now.” Hope was genuinely somewhat frightened now, not of Dana, but of what she might do herself. For a long time, Hope had kept a vice grip on her own temper, but something about this girl, in particular, got beneath her skin.

“Dana, PE is starting.” Eden Southerly said, clearly disturbed by Dana having drawn blood, though she was a flunky of Dana’s by any other name. She glanced nervously between Hope and the clock. “Making her cry publically again this month would be just too pitiful.”

“Just… don’t fucking test me again, Mikaelson.” Dana pressed tight on her throat then walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

Hope gasped to regain her breath and coughed hoarsely, sliding down the lockers to sit. Her legs were wobbly and refused to hold her up any longer. Lizzie rushed to her side immediately and slid an arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently. She wondered if Hope could feel her tremble with all of the repressed furies a demon girl with historically poor impulse control could contain. Lizzie’s next instinct was to set the whole gym aflame until only she and Hope remained.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. WE are fine. Just give me a minute to catch my breath and get cleaned up. Dana only gets like this when things are bad at home. If you thought this was rough you should meet her mom. I’m a werewolf and a Mikaelson. This will heal up just fine.” Hope seemed to be settling herself with her words as much as she was attempting to settle Lizzie. Hope squeezed the demon’s arm lightly and as soon as her breathing evened out she pushed herself back up to her feet.

“You still shouldn’t have to take that. It’s bullying. Absolute bullshit and a completely unacceptable coping method.” Lizzie laid a hand feather lightly across the back of Hope’s head and the knot ceased it’s stinging then dissipated completely. The blood-spattered across her clothing and the lockers vanished as well.

“Thank you. Just let me finish up here and I will join you outside. I just… I need a moment. A moment to myself.” Hope’s eyes were full and her jaw was clenched tightly, golden light brewing behind the thin veil of tears. Too many emotions flickered across Hope’s face for Lizzie to accurately assess.

Her breaths came heavily as she tried to regulate her oxygen intake. Hope allowed her tears to fall now that she was alone. She gasped quietly to herself and bit down roughly on her first knuckle to keep her sobs from escaping, and drawing Lizzie’s attention back to herself. The crescent moon charm began to pierce into the palm of her hand. She counted quietly to herself in every language she knew the way her father had taught her to. Even just thinking about him seemed to help her a lot. The smell of paints, turpentine, the slight hint of blood only barely covered by his sandalwood and cedar cologne. She could also imagine her mother hugging her tightly around the shoulders and waist with all of her strength, lending her strength to her daughter.

Emboldened by her mental image, Hope stood once more on her own two feet, reminded of her badass family and that she was, at her core, a Mikaelson, forever and always. She pulled a clean Mystic Falls Stallions t-shirt over her head and stepped out into the gym. Lizzie stood beside the door, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, and her expression stern. Her other classmates were all doing laps around the gym nearby or Hope would have patted the demon’s shoulder. Instead, Hope maintained her stubborn and brave face.

Her expression almost faltered when out of nowhere, Lizzie’s face took on a scarily familiar mischievous glint. Hope was reminded of her Uncle Kol during some of his past shenanigans or her father when he was on a killing tear. She was immediately a little afraid, a little excited, and braced herself for the worst. Lizzie shot her a wink and pointed to one of the girls running around the court, a thin sheen of sweat already beginning to bloom across her brow. Hope followed along, blue eyes wide only to see previously tightly tied shoelaces undo themselves, watched Dana step onto one and soar forward onto the hard floor, her nose and chin taking the brunt of the damage. Her hands appeared to be held back behind her by some unseen force by the name of Lizzie and she was not able to catch herself.

Time seemed to stop completely, Hope’s breath caught in her chest as she heard the thump and the sick crack of bone. She winced and sank her teeth into her lower lip. She wasn’t exactly happy to see Dana faceplant but she wasn’t sad about either. Hope swallowed her conflicted feelings and joined into the run as though she had been there the entire time. Her heart was pounding once more after having just calmed down and for a moment she genuinely suspected she might puke.

Hope pretended as though all was well for the remainder of class, waiting for a moment of privacy where she could speak to Lizzie. She had never liked gym class in the first place and this incident was certainly not going to change her preconception. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts of all that had happened over the past hour, Hope didn’t even remember to pretend as though she were working hard. On the other hand, Lizzie wasn’t sure of what she had done wrong. It was clear already to her that Hope was in some way displeased with her actions as the other girl steadily refused to even look at her.

Lizzie bamfed herself to the top of the bleachers for a bird’s eye view of all the students to make sure no one else was going to try anything with her charge. Over the next hour, despite the day she had, Hope helped all of her remaining classmates if they seemed to need her and used only a typical human’s amount of strength, speed, and agility, though it was clear that she was unfocused, though she was still much more capable than any of the others. There was no sheen of sweat on her face, not a single ball struck her during dodgeball, and she seemed to forget that the average seventeen-year-old girl was not capable of doing a kip-up.

Hope was drawing quite a few more eyes than usual, but they all seemed to be appreciative or respectful as opposed to the usual derision she had become accustomed to. Lizzie decided to let the attention pass for the time being since no harm seemed to be coming from it. The rest of the class passed without incident.

Hope gestured subtly for the demon to follow her, after changing in a private bathroom stall while all of the other girls were in the locker room. She didn’t want to risk anything with the other girls, even with Dana tucked far away in the nurse’s office with her smashed nose and her bruised jaw. Hope was very glad to be away from her, though she hated how it had to happen.

“You really can’t do things like that, Lizzie. I want the people around me to be safe. Whether I like them, they like me, or not. Unless it seems as though my life or my secret is in jeopardy. You can intervene then, but I really _don’t_ want anyone getting hurt. Whether or not I am allowed to remain in this school is contingent upon that. I have seen enough pain and death in my life already. I don’t care to see anymore… and I am deadly serious about that.” Hope put her foot down for once, anger and an unnamed ache in her glittering and pained eyes.

Lizzie hated to have played a part in putting any of it there. It had been years since she had felt any kind of guilt like this. She wasn’t sure of how Hope Mikaelson had managed to climb beneath her skin in the way she did. Now she was ready and willing to do anything for the tribrid. Lizzie had not been prepared for this at _all_.

“Understood. It will not ever happen again. You have to understand that doing ‘the right thing’ is _not_ my default setting. I am an archdevil, a temptress, and a demon. The way you do things, will be a learning experience and I will make more mistakes, but I am who I am. That's not going to change.” Lizzie shrugged, her eyes downcast.

“I know those facts and I… had yet to put them together. We will figure whatever this is out, okay? I promise.” Hope patted and squeezed Lizzie’s shoulder. “Thank you for caring enough to try to do better for me and for trying to do something about what was happening. It wasn’t necessarily the right something to do but it was something, nonetheless, when I needed something to happen desperately.” Hope smiled softly, the ache in her eyes slackening a bit. Lizzie was relieved to see the change and the pressure building in her chest lightened, just a bit as well.


	10. Chapter 10

“This is my favorite place in the whole school. My studio at home is infinitely fancier, but this place is just so much more comfortable and homey. It’s more conducive to art for me. Dad’s really proud of having a private studio made for me in the compound, so I can’t really say that at home.” Hope shrugged with a soft smile. “I play some soft music and I can work for _hours_ if no one disturbs me.”

“I can see why.” Lizzie nodded understandingly. The classroom was lit with harsh fluorescent ceiling panels. Students’ art decorated the walls with bright and cheerful colors and designs. A half-circle of chairs and easels were set up around an empty table. Lizzie could imagine how comfortable and reassuring the room would feel with all of the seats filled.

“I can handle anything you might need that you don't have here or tell you another story… anything that you may want or need.” Lizzie offered, maybe a little desperately propping herself up on a stool beside the one Hope occupied. She had so far not gotten to see any of Hope’s art and was really kind of hoping that today might be the day. The tribrid girl had been working hard on the base sketch she carried around constantly. Respectfully, she leaned back far enough that the art piece wasn’t in her line of sight despite her ever-increasing curiosity.

“Do you do music? Could you make my phone play me all of my favorite music, whatever I need to hear but I didn’t know I needed to? That would be absolutely perfect.” Hope asked, her eyes lighting up. It was truly adorable, though, and unexpected from a girl who had made the school’s queen bee cower only a few hours before. The fury Lizzie had seen in golden werewolf eyes had completely dissipated from the beautiful ocean pair she saw now. Though she had only seen a glimmer of the change before, Hope saw no sign of the demon eyes in Lizzie either.

She took her favorite version of the base sketch she had done and pinned it to the top of the easel and twirled her pencil between her fingers as she stared at the blank canvas in front of her.

“Sorry, Hope, but that’s a… not a real thing. I can do insane things, but as a devil, I really _really_ can not do miracles. I am pretty much the antithesis of everything miracles are.” Lizzie offered her a small smile. “I can give you a customized and free Spotify account if you want. Would that be close enough to suit your needs?”

“That’s pretty awesome, Lizzie. A miracle by any other name. You deserve your wings. You should get to fly if you want to. If anyone asks me, if you could curb your overreactions to perceived threats towards me, you would be every inch the angel you once were, at least to me, Elizabeth.” Hope smiled, put her headphones on and realized the version of Spotify Lizzie had made her, literally played the exact songs Hope wanted to hear. Her demonic angel really was more amazing than she gave herself credit for.

She realized quickly she was completely spacing out and thinking about Lizzie instead of working on her piece. It took a moment to clear her mind again, then she put pencil to canvas, and decided not to move again until she had to pee or eat. Hope was so invested in her work she didn’t realize when Penelope came into the room and started eating beignets right out of the school bag beneath her chair.

“So, do you happen to know what happened to Dana Lilien’s face?” Penelope Park asked Lizzie pointedly, sitting down beside her and arching a single eyebrow, green eyes sparkling wickedly. Somehow this witch managed to strike fear into even Lizzie’s evil heart. There was a fire in her heart that reminded her of her sister. Lizzie wished Josie could meet her two new friends… so long as Penelope wasn’t about to burn her down.

“You know… I might know a thing or two about that little mess. I might have even had something to do with it myself. Do you have a problem with what I did? I already caught a hell of a lecture from Hope. Somehow she managed to convince me that I was wrong. I don’t know what happened or how.” Lizzie shrugged, eyes wide as though she were still shell-shocked. Hope had this effect on the people around her.

“She pulled the exact same thing with me when we first became friends. In the beginning, for me at least, being friends was just convenient because we were both witches. She is exponentially stronger than me because she’s a tribrid, but I didn't know that then. I just wanted to see the world burn. I pretty much only wanted to cause chaos and get whatever I wanted, just because I wanted it… then came Hope, and somehow she made me care, about not just myself, but the people around me as well. I think it might just be who she is.” Penelope explained, brushing a little powdered sugar off of her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Do you still want to see the world burn?” Lizzie asked, a smirk pulling at her lips. She knew the feeling Penelope was talking about all too well.

“Only always.” Penelope chuckled. “But keeping her as my friend and in my life is more important than making that happen right now. I am pretty sure that if you hadn’t done something about Dana though, I was going to snap and actually set her on fire. That bitch has had it coming for a long ass time.”

“It is a very good thing you're not the one who summoned me, then. We could have caused real trouble and then we would both have to face Hope’s wrath… she could topple kingdoms with that furrowed brow and her ‘disappointed in you’ face.” Lizzie chuckled, lacing her arms together behind her head and floating about a foot above the ground as though lying in a bed. There was a level of amusement and affection in Lizzie’s voice that immediately drew Penelope’s attention.

“Oh my _God_... you _like_ her, don’t you?” Penelope asked a bit too loudly than she should have, given that the only thing blocking Hope from hearing her was a set of headphones. She seemed involved enough in painting her artwork that none of it registered, though.

“I do, but we have only just met and I am literally a devil, Penelope. A devil from Hell. The two of us are inherently incompatible. I am not going to hold my breath, no matter what our teenage hormones have to say about the matter. I have screwed a lot of things up in my seventeen-year-old eternity. Her life isn’t going to be one of them.”


	11. Chapter 11

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Lizzie,” Penelope said softly. “I have watched how you take care of her. I doubt you will screw this up, though you are smart to take it slow… you know, it’s getting late, we should get her attention soon, and send the two of you on home.”

“I’m going to take it inchworm slow, for so long as I can. I just want her to show me what she has been working on for so long.” Lizzie said in a pouty voice. It almost made Penelope laugh out loud, but she thought better of insulting an actual demon.

“You’re right, I don’t want to let her work herself too hard.” Lizzie stood back up and placed a hand on Hope’s shoulder before pulling out one of the earbuds. “Hope, I’ve given you as much time as I can, but we have to get back now. It’s getting late and I’m bored.”

Hope startled, yanking back from the easel, ready to fight. She realized it was Lizzie and immediately settled back down again. Penelope could see it in her face as she became aware of her surroundings once more and noticed Penelope’s presence as well. “How long have you been here… did you eat all of the beignets?!”

Hope seemed more shocked by that than the pile of comfortable pillows and other accouterments the two other girls were surrounded by on the floor. She did have to be impressed by how Lizzie managed conversation with Pen, making sure Hope’s music was perfect, and providing her with pencils before she could even ask. Something about that thoughtfulness warmed Hope's heart over. A small smile crept its’ way onto her face. She also enjoyed how Lizzie and Penelope had been getting along.

“I sure did. It’s what you get for neglecting me for so long.” Penelope laughed and hugged Hope, then turned to Lizzie. “You’ll make sure to get her home safely?”

“Of course. Have you not completely figured me out yet? Between the two of us - we have her taken care of.” Lizzie promised, snapping and making all of the mess vanish. “You know, we would love to see what you’re working on, whenever you’re ready. I know you’ve been putting a lot of work into it.”

The demon’s curiosity got the better of her at long last. Hope was evident in her eyes, and that soft feeling the tribrid had seen there before and had yet to decipher. The warmth in her chest grew and spread. Hope didn’t know what they were yet, but she could tell it was important and special. She was tempted to give in then but pulled herself back out of sheer nervousness.

“As soon as it’s done. I’m not quite happy with it yet. We’re getting there though.” Hope promised, picking up the packed bag of her belongings., and sliding her hand into Lizzie’s. “Let me know when you get home safely, Pen.”

“Same to you. I’ll see you later.” Penelope fished for her car keys and waved over her shoulder on the way out.

“You ready?” Hope asked, still kind of stuck in her artist’s mindset.

“Yeah,” Lizzie replied, staring down at their joined hands in surprise. It shocked her still, how much all of the little gestures affected her.

Hope turned to face her and took Lizzie’s opposite hand as well. “Are you sure you’re ready?” Hope asked, staring deep into Lizzie’s eyes.

“Yeah,” Lizzie answered again. She allowed Hope to pull her in closer, closer than they had ever been before.

“You just have to promise me, Hope Andrea Mikaelson, that the next time anyone lays a hand on you without your consent, you will punch them in the face. One time offer.” Lizzie added, their noses brushing every time they moved.

“Fucking deal.” Hope grabbed a hold of Lizzie’s t-shirt and pulled her even closer, tentatively slotting their lips together. It was soft, scared, and Lizzie dared to think, possibly sacred.

Lizzie saw a bright flash of light even through her closed eyes, and at first, she thought it was just because of the kiss- the magic of the moment. Then, Hope pulled away to breathe, and there was a third person in the room. Shoulder length black hair, dark eyes bearing no resemblance to Lizzie’s own, full and almost pouty; she stood with her arms crossed against her chest. Raw waves of emotion rolled off of this woman and Hope reached out a hand to allow a single white feather falling from the air to land in her hand.

“Elizabeth? How am I here right now?” the winged woman looked over to her sister who now felt a nostalgic and familiar weight on her back as well. Hope guessed as to who she might be, and as breathless as she had been before, she was no longer she had ever been able to breathe before... ever. 

“Josie, how are you here? How are these on my back right now? I’ve missed you.” Lizzie slowly stuttered to move closer to her sister.

On top of her shock, Hope made mental notes of all the things she needed to change in her painting, mind working in double time. She also felt deeply as though she were intruding on a moment not meant for her eyes… even if technically it had been _her_ moment that had been completely trampled. Hope chewed quietly on the inside of her cheek as she attempted to process the multitude of strange and wonderful events that all seemed to be happening at the same time.

“The Master only told me that I needed to come and check in on you. He gave me no specifics. I had assumed there was trouble of some sort. Do you need help? You weren’t looking as though you needed only help when I arrived.” Josie thought and explained out loud as she stepped in to hug her sister tightly, both pairs of wings folding in, then disappearing. Hope still held tightly to her feather.

“It’s already been a very strange week and I have had a very strange life, but _this_ might be the most confused I have ever been… and I’m _really_ smart.” Hope finally had to interject. “What is happening right now?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Hope Mikaelson, this is my twin sister, Josette Saltzman. Josie for short. The same one from my stories. Josie, this is Hope, who recently summoned and bound me, but I’m pretty okay with that.” Lizzie introduced them. “ Beyond that, I am also very, very, confused.”


	12. Chapter 12

“We should really continue this conversation elsewhere.” Josie offered Hope a nod and a smile, noticing paint smeared across the young woman’s hands and forearms, a little on the bridge of her nose. She could also feel traces of Lizzie’s demonic residue all over her and splattered across the room. Then again, Lizzie Salzman had never been known for moderation.

“So, should we do this the fast way or the fun way? I kind of want to take these babies on a test run.” Lizzie flexed and retracted her new wings experimentally. For about the tenth time that day, Hope felt completely breathless. She had been too distracted by Josie's arrival to get a good look, and now took the opportunity to fill her eyes with Lizzie and her joy at having been reunited with her wings.

The broad wings were white and accented with an almost gold color at the very tips, and Hope assumed that was where the feather she had caught come from. At full wingspan, Lizzie’s wings would probably reach wall to wall of the classroom. Josie’s had been about the same size; colored black, brown, and grey in a feathered kind of ombre. Hope worked to keep the awe from reaching and showing on her face. As the only tribrid in the world, Hope didn’t feel that she should allow herself to be impressed so easily. Others should be more impressed by her than she was by her own right, one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Though all of her more recent experiences had her questioning that fact a bit.

“Let’s do it the fun way. It has been a long while since we were able to fly together… I’ve missed it… almost as much as I’ve missed you.” Josie said and smiled brightly for the first time since her arrival. Hope was amazed to see the difference the smile made in her face, soft and sad brown eyes lit up, naturally pouty lips tilted up. She was as beautiful and light as Lizzie had told her in all of her stories. Josie led the way out of the school as though she had the floorplan memorized.

Hope followed a ways behind the twins, giving them a moment to reconnect with one another. The dichotomy between the two was almost hilarious, though now that she could see them together, Hope could see the ways they were similar as well. Lizzie had left those parts out of her stories. She felt a little jealous of not having a sister of her own. The two balanced one another out well, just as Lizzie had once described.

Hope looked on as the siblings stepped out of the school, gave one another some room, and snapped both sets of wings out fully. Lizzie met Josie’s eyes, they nodded in unison, and burst off the ground with a burst of air, wings carrying them into the night sky. Moon and starlight glittered off of them as they soared. Hope found herself desperately wishing to paint once more. This was an image she doubted any other mortal or immortal had been gifted the chance to see before… and it deserved to be put on canvas.

After a few moments of gleeful laughter and sisterhood, Lizzie landed in a jog up to Hope. “Sorry, to ditch you like that… I got a bit over-excited. It is just as amazing, _beautiful_ , and free as I remember it. Hope, you _have to_ fly with me and my sister. We can go and get Penelope too. She would love this.” Lizzie was speaking so quickly Hope could barely keep up. She smiled softly and calmly; all of the things Lizzie was _not_ at the moment.

“Unlike you, I don’t have an infinite amount of energy, and I do have school in the morning. Maybe this weekend we can find a remote area for the four of us to try it out… if Josie and Penelope are up for it.” Hope offered, barely holding back a yawn. Josie landed behind Lizzie shortly afterward and placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“It is all going to be okay, Lizzie. I am not going anywhere. We will have all kinds of time while I figure out why I was sent here.” Josie reassured her. “Let’s get your girlfriend home.”

Lizzie and Hope found themselves blushing deeply at being called such, looking down and away from one another.

“Oh! So… this is something that _just_ happened.” Josie nodded knowingly with a smirk. Hope was glad to see she wasn’t completely stuck up. “Good to know. Good to know.”

Hope and Lizzie shared a glance. They knew there was a very good chance they were about to be teased quite mercilessly. Lizzie was much more used to teasing than being teased.

“Do you mind if we fly you on home? I am not quite done being in the cool night air just yet.” Lizzie offered, opening her arms and wings wide, her cheeks still a bit pinkened by embarrassment. Her face was hopeful, so light and full of joy, in a way Hope had never seen before. She was glad for Lizzie, whether the other girl was her girlfriend or not.

“Only if you go a bit easier than you did the last time. It took a good long while for me to get my land legs back. I looked like I was sky high and you know it.” Lizzie laughed and nodded in agreement. “Now, how does this work?”

“Stand with your back to me, and, if you’re comfortable with it, I’ll put my arms around your waist and shoulders to hold you while I fly.” Lizzie offered while Josie looped around the school a few more times.

“I’m trusting you… just know that if you drop me it will be your fault that yet another Mikaelson vampire hybrid is wreaking havoc on Mystic Falls… like that poor town doesn’t have enough to worry about.” Hope chuckled quietly.

“I am _not_ going to drop you.” Lizzie scolded as Hope stepped into her waiting arms. Her voice was a bit lower than usual and filled with infinitely more affection. Her eyes were usually much colder, and Hope realized that this must be what Lizzie looked like when she was actually _happy_.

“I did say that I trust you. I was just giving you a fair warning so you could keep me from eating some innocent soul… like Mayor Donovan. It would probably be him. Everyone is shocked he’s lived this long anyway.” Hope said with a shrug, amused, and put out by how the much taller Lizzie rested her pointy chin on the top of her head.

She was much more prepared for the stomach drop feeling and rush of air as they took off from the ground and into the cold night air, braced by the warm body of the, now former, demon behind her.


	13. Chapter 13

Lizzie Saltzman was a warm pressure against her back, and a consistent comforting presence. Hope could feel, even though they were flying, herself falling for this angel of a girl. If it weren’t for the werewolf parts of herself Hope would have been freezing cold. It was bracingly chill to her even despite that. Joy radiated from the twin sisters and Hope basked in it.

The night was beautiful and the flight felt much shorter than she would have liked. Hope could have stayed up in the sky with them forever it seemed. Here was no pressure there and no expectations. She was beginning to understand the feeling of freedom Lizzie had been describing before. If this was what flying felt like whilst being carried, Hope wondered what it felt like to be the one with wings.

She missed Lizzie’s touch as soon as they stepped down onto the solid ground. Hope stepped away and Lizzie immediately felt a little more empty. They knew they needed to talk, but weren’t willing to have a conversation with that degree of depth while Josie was around. Hope did find herself wanting to get to know the sister of the girl she was interested in. The balance and trust carefully built between Lizzie and Josie were something truly beautiful in Hope’s eyes.

Hope had no siblings of her own, nor would she after the loss of her stepfather, Jackson. She got mad about it whenever she was particularly lonely, and she wished she had been able to know him better. The sibling relationships amongst the Mikaelsons were tumultuous, to say the least, but the youngest of them knew for a fact they loved one another dearly. She would never consider them the best role models in the world, however. Unending and uncompromising love, however, she had learned from her father, his brothers, and his sisters.

Hope felt immediately more grounded when Lizzie looped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She reached up and threaded her fingers through the blonde’s; turning her head to kiss the back of the hand.

“Can you two get yourselves into my room unseen? I just need to say hello to my family and visit for a while before I join you.” Hope looked to the twins and gestured to the window of her bedroom. Lizzie and Josie nodded shortly and simultaneously. They joined hands and lifted from the ground, no wings required. Hope held Lizzie’s hand until she lifted too far to reach and grinned as they slipped in through the window, near silently.

She felt a slight buzz at the watch on her wrist, a reminder that Lizzie was with her, always. It was more comforting than she ever could have thought. As soon as Hope opened the door, her mother greeted her with a warm, tight, hug, and a kiss on her cheek. Elijah clapped her on the shoulder as she passed by him, a content smile on his face. 

“Hello, Hope. Your mother says I can take you for another practice drive some time soon if you would like. You are becoming quite good, the longer we have been working at it.” he ruffled her hair.

Hope pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss each of their cheeks as well. Soft and adoring eyes followed her in and through each room, she entered. Hope loved when the whole family was in town, but it did get exhausting. The eyes and the expectations all weighed heavily on her.

“That’s my little girl, coming home covered in paint. I recognize that look in your eyes. You want to go right back up to our studio and finish, don’t you?” Klaus announced as though he knew all the things that went through her head. Hope repressed the deep urge to roll her eyes.

“You caught me, Dad.” she lied, for the most part smoothly, though Hope could feel some of her nerves shining through. “May I grab a plate and be excused? I don’t want to lose my inspiration.”

“Of course, my darling. I will see you in the morning. Try not to go to be too late, you are still growing, my littlest wolf.” he hugged her and kissed the top of her head with all of the tenderness no one called The Great Evil ought to have. “I love you, more than the whole world.”

Hope grinned her thanks brightly. She ran up the stairs though she could feel her Aunt Freya’s suspicion. Before heading into her room where the twins were waiting, she stopped into the studio, turned on music, and put the painting up on her easel whenever she had a moment to work again. Hope scribbled a few notes down of what she wanted to add, change, or adjust. She smiled at the portrait view of Lizzie’s face and went to go find the angel.

Lizzie and Josie were sitting on Hope’s bed, talking and laughing, looking for all of the worlds like two supremely typical teenage sisters. Hope was infinitely pleased by the sight. She knocked on the doorframe to alert the other two young women to her presence before entering. They turned the full force of both smiles onto her and Hope found it almost unbearable. Having two angel women right there in her room was quite unfair. 

Everything about Lizzie seemed brighter now that her wings had been returned. When she caught sight of the other girl from the corner of her eye, Hope could swear there was a slight glow to her.

“How did that go, downstairs?” Lizzie asked, looping an arm around her sister’s neck. The pair seemed unwilling to go even a mere moment out of physical contact with one another since their reunion. The Mikaelsons were only a somewhat touchy bunch. Hope's family didn’t interact in this way often and had certainly never lazed about on top of one another the way these girls did.

“I had assumed you would be listening in as usual. It was good. Lots of hugs, hair ruffles, and being treated like an absolute baby. Aunt Freya could tell something was up, as usual, but otherwise, it was all standard.” Hope shrugged and sat down across from the sisters at her desk chair.

“I _was_ listening and I wanted to hear how you felt about what I heard happening. I’m glad, and I’m proud of you.” Lizzie opened her arms in an invitation for Hope to join them. She wasn’t certain of joining them, so she laid across the foot of the bed across from the other two, so their bodies formed something of a triangle. They could all see one another and talk easily. Every time one of them moved, they brushed their skin, and Hope wondered at how touch starved she had actually been before these girls had come into Hope’s life.

“No matter what the boss intends, no matter how we ended up here, or why… I am very glad to be here with the two of you and to see you reunited. Most importantly, I am glad for the opportunity to have gotten to know you both.” Hope had ended up lying on her back between the twins, staring up at their ceiling; their elbows and shoulders brushing lightly.

“I am inclined to agree. I have spent much too long missing my sister and regretting having allowed her to make the sacrifice she did. She has also long needed an equal, someone who can challenge her, bring out the good in her,... and actually enjoys her particular sense of humor.” Josie chuckled quietly to herself as she reached across Hope to link her pinkie with her sister’s.

“You do remember that I am right here on the other side of Hope, right?” Lizzie tugged on the pinkie sharply. “Yes, though I have to say how thankful I am as well. You have changed me, my life, and my world. I am infinitely grateful for you, Hope Mikaelson, and everything you have given me.”

“Just whatever happens, whatever your mission may be, whatever you may have to do… please, just try to stay with me for as long as you can. I lost a lot of important people in a short period of time… even before I was born. I came close to losing everyone I love, not long ago. It was one of the scariest and most terrible events of my life thus far… and you know who my dad is. I don’t know how much more I can handle.” Hope spoke softly and sadly, a deep ache in her voice. Lizzie wished dearly that she was able to do something to ease that pain.

“I can make that promise… for you. I will stay as long as I can with you, even if it requires that I fall from grace again. I won’t lose you, either of you, ever again. I can’t live like that. I won’t live like that. I refuse. I _will_ have you both in my life.” Lizzie promised; to Hope, to Josie, and to herself.

Hope stood, moved to the other side of the bed, and shoved Lizzie to the middle before taking her vacated space. She scooched in, laid her head on Lizzie’s shoulder, and nestled in tightly. Josie caught on quickly and replicated the action on Lizzie’s other side.

“We’ll stay with you too, Lizzie. None of us should ever have to be alone again.” Josie replied. Her big brown eyes were warm, full of hope and love. Hope nodded her agreement in turn.

“They have a saying in my family;” Hope laid her hand on top of Lizzie’s stomach. “We can borrow it for the three of us now: Always and Forever.”

Josie added her own hand to the stack as well, lacing her fingers over Hope’s. “Always and Forever,” she added, eyes, flickering between Hope’s and Lizzie’s.

Lizzie put one hand at the top of the pile over Josie’s and the other beneath Hope’s, to hold the hands of both of her favorite people.

“Always and Forever,” Lizzie announced, her voice strong and her expression set. When she spoke it sounded more like a challenge than a promise. She turned her head, gently pressed her lips to Hope’s, and then to Josie’s forehead. “I love you both.”


	14. Epilogue

“ _Two of them_ , Hope? Really?!” Freya asked, the twins sleeping in her room still, where Freya had just been looking for her.

Hope was in the art studio, still working on the one painting that had continually vexed her since meeting Elizabeth. Her father had stopped in to check in on her, complimented her work, made sure she had slept and dropped off some breakfast. She had finally begun to get the piece where she wanted it when Freya had come in.

“They are _sisters_ , Aunt Freya. Don’t be gross. The only one I have feelings for Lizzie. We fell asleep together talking. They must have worn themselves out flying last night… you were separated from your siblings for such a long time… You ought to understand how they feel more than anyone.” Hope spoke pointedly.

“Flying?” Freya asked, the barest twinge of a smile quirking at her lips. Hope didn’t notice how the word caught her attention.

“Yeah, and it was amazing. They were beautiful up there and when they brought me up with them… indescribable. I have done some amazing things in my life. More so than almost anyone else in the world. This was better than all of that.” Hope spoke breathlessly and with a kind of wonder, Freya hadn’t seen since her niece was a tiny seven-year-old girl.

“That does sound wonderful, Hope. I’m glad for you,... but for how long do you think you will be able to hide these two from the rest of our family?” Freya asked. “Realistically, I feel like if they weren’t all distracted by their drama they would have already picked up on the comings and goings of two extra powerful supernaturals.”

“I will take it up with them tonight, try and talk through some solutions,” Hope said as she realized just how right her aunt was. “Their ‘master’ sent them here, certainly ‘He’ ought to be providing their accommodations for the duration of their stay on our world.”

\-----////-----

“Be safe and have fun, Baby Girl. Try not to get home too late. I am sure your Dad and I will both be staying up waiting for you. If there’s any kind of funny business, you know he’ll know.” Hayley Marshall-Kenner ‘Mikaelson’ raised an eyebrow at her daughter in a kind of mischief encouraging warning. The signals were certainly mixed, but in a manner that gave Hope some much-needed leeway.

“Hey Hope, Penelope, and Lizzie are in the car at the gate. Are you ready?” Josie surprised the tribrid by approaching, looking every inch the typical teenage girl in a lined denim jacket and t-shirt, hair pulled back in a pony-tail.

“Yeah, uh, hey Jo. I was just about to head out.” Hope smiled at her new friend before turning back to Hayley. “Love you, Mom. Bye.”

“ _Introduce me later?_ ” Hayley whispered as she hugged her daughter and went back inside. Josie and Hope could both still hear her mutter to herself. “The joys of a bisexual daughter. I only recognize one name of three girls and she could be dating any of them or none of them. You know I trust Hope implicitly but I never know what’s going on with her.”

“I need to spend more time with her.” Hope sighed more to herself than to Josie.

“She seems like a good mom,” Josie replied blithely. “You seem good for Lizzie too, I wanted to say. She seems to have evened out considerably and to be much more comfortable in her skin than I can remember her having been in a long time. I think a lot of that progress is owed to you, and I want you to know that I appreciate it. Whatever you might have said, whatever you might have done, whether you realized it or not… thank you.”

“I’m honestly not sure of anything I might have to do, but you are welcome nonetheless,” Hope replied as they joined the blonde in question and Penelope. “We do need to talk about the housing situation though.”

\-----/////------

“Okay, so you _were_ a demon, but you aren’t anymore?” Penelope was asking as Hope laid out a picnic blanket across the grass. She still seemed to be in a bit of shock as the other three girls had been filling her in on everything she had missed. “What are you now?”

“We aren’t completely sure, to be honest.” Lizzie fielded the question. “I know that I am not demonic any longer. Whatever binding Hope had placed on me isn’t there anymore. I might be an angel again, but I don’t think so. Maybe I’m somewhere in between?”

Hope rounded on Lizzie, then. “We aren’t bound to one another anymore? Why didn’t I notice?”

“We were… a bit preoccupied at that point. Even I didn’t notice until I had a moment of quiet in your room late last night. I didn’t think it was that big a…”

“If we aren't’ bound nothing is tying us together… we could be separated…” Hope immediately started on a mental spiral until Lizzie caught her by the shoulders and tilted her chin up to meet her eyes.

“Hey there, Hope, look at me… I made you a promise and if anyone were to try to get between us I would release the full menace of my inner demon bitch on them, do you understand me?” Lizzie led her away from the others for a moment and staring deeply enough into Hope that she could almost imagine another, deeper kind of bond between them. “Now, are you ready to go teach Penelope how to fly?”

Hope took a few more deep breaths before a bright smile broke out across her face once more. She grabbed Lizzie’s hand and tugged her into a jog back to where Josie and Penelope were waiting, sitting just slightly too close to one another. “Of course I am.”


End file.
